The Hundred-Foot Journey | 3.5/5

SINGAPORE — There are three things I love in life: Food, the south of France and Helen Mirren. Which is why I suspect this movie might have been made just for me.

The Hundred-Foot Journey, which is based on the novel by Richard C Morais, tells the story of culinary ingenue Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal) who leaves his native India and settles in a picturesque, idyllic village in the south of France with his family. The Kadams’ decision to open an Indian restaurant directly opposite a Michelin-starred classical French restaurant incurs the wrath of its proud, exacting French mistress Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren). Thus begins a battle of spices, creams and cultures, even as a budding romance forms between Hassan and Mallory’s sous chef, Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon).

Strictly speaking, there is nothing terribly inventive about The Hundred-Foot Journey, which is directed by Lasse Hallstrom and produced by Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey and Juliet Blake. It’s not the first movie to deal with the clash of cultural stereotypes and it won’t be the last. But the movie does so with such light-heartedness and sincerity that it’s impossible not to enjoy the ride anyway.

Part of the credit should go to screenwriter Steven Knight for the coherent storyline and the strong cast. Helen Mirren, in particular, delivers a strong, layered performance as the lonely, forbidding Michelin star-chasing restaurateur, despite her on-off French accent. But a major part of the movie’s appeal also stems from the fact that the movie is set in the irresistibly quaint and charming village of Saint-Antonin-Nobel-Val, which gives the characters (and even the audience) an opportunity to escape to the quiet, calming embrace of the French country.

And by the end of the movie, we weren’t just making reservations at our French and Indian restaurants — we were also planning our next vacation in the south of France. Too bad we won’t be able to take Helen Mirren with us.

(PG, 122 mins)